Connecting with God through poetic articulations of lived, embodied experience–engaging texts from the Revised Common Lectionary for Christian churches, other biblical and spiritual texts, and evocations of the divine in rituals and other public events–always accepting lived reality as a primary source of divine revelation and mystery.

Made Well by Faith

I know people like Samaritan Leper Number 10, despite being among the innumerable despised, putting thank you at the top of their vocabulary, for the sun rising, moon glowing, worms crawling, bugs biting, children hugging, also begging, adults arguing, politicians pointing, dancers leaping, actors declaiming, movie stars posing, thieves conniving, cops getting it right, even wrong when we need to get angry about racism, and lots of other ills we have yet to fix—still all these are signs of life in God’s universe, opportunities to celebrate creation or to pray, confess, take responsibility for what has gone wrong. So far.

vi.sualize.us

Gangs of today’s lepers wander our streets; some claim them untouchables out of fear they will rob or hurt them or because they look different. Others know these modern Samaritans hurt too, projecting toughness to disguise their pain, so mothers and lovers will not give away truth of their vulnerability to The Man who patrols mean hard streets looking for trouble. And then the sound of gunfire, was it police, or was it another untouchable? What if Jesus appeared, would they keep their distance but call out, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us! We don’t want to die, we don’t want to kill, have mercy on us. Would Jesus send them to local priest or pastor, would Jesus send them to church to be judged, given a food bag, sent on their way? Or would they be welcomed, given a bath, new clothes, hope, an invitation to come back next week for more of the same and even more, a ride to a job interview, chance to earn a GED, then community college, visit to medical clinic, maybe even a hug?